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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26818378">J is for Jelly</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolbyrne/pseuds/coolbyrne'>coolbyrne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Alphabet Series [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:54:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,191</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26818378</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolbyrne/pseuds/coolbyrne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>History is full of great pairings. Like peanut butter and jam. (Or jelly.) Slibbs</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Alphabet Series [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909126</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>J is for Jelly</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Saturday sun crept across the park, the air a companion to the warm yellow painting the grass and trees. He sat at their picnic table, under the shade of the big Maple, enjoying a sandwich, a coffee and the day. It wasn't really <em>their</em> table, of course. It had seen its fair share of other people, families, friends, lovers, but after a year of being coerced into mixing business with pleasure there, he had grown awfully proprietary about it. </p>
<p>He snorted. <em>Lovers</em>. Is that what they were? Just shy of 10 months, it seemed like it should be called something more.</p>
<p>A movement out of the corner of his eye mercifully cut his thoughts short.</p>
<p>"Nathan."</p>
<p>"Hey, Mr. Gibbs," the teenager said, dropping onto the bench across him. "Waitin' for Mrs. Gibbs?" The kid knew damn well there were no such nuptials and he grinned at Gibbs' scowl. "Hey, Mr. Kowalski says if anyone can teach an old dog new tricks, it's Agent Sloane."</p>
<p>He grunted at the neighbour who was the only one who had lived on the street longer than he had. "Mr. Kowalski says the government is eavesdropping through his microwave."</p>
<p>Nathan laughed, a full rich sound that was different from a year ago. The boy was fast becoming a man. "Yeah, okay, my bad." He held up his hands. "But you know, you and Agent Sloane. You're like-" He snapped his fingers. "Like chocolate and peanut butter." Gibbs cocked an eyebrow and Nathan pointed at his sandwich. "Like peanut butter and jam."</p>
<p>Gibbs spoke around a bite. "It's jelly."</p>
<p>Nathan frowned at the distinction. "What's the difference?"</p>
<p>Slowly chewing and never breaking eye contact, Gibbs finally shook his head. "You here for somethin', Nate or you wanna learn about fruit preservatives?"</p>
<p>The teen's mouth twitched up in a half-guilty grin. "I was wonderin' if I came over and did your lawn Wednesday after school if I could get paid now?"</p>
<p>Gibbs looked at him over the rim of his coffee cup. "You askin' me for a loan?"</p>
<p>He offered a sheepish shrug. "Melissa wants to go to the mall this afternoon an' I just wanna make sure I can buy her lunch or somethin'."</p>
<p>"Melissa?" Gibbs asked even as he reached into his back pocket. "This the girl who's tutoring you in Math?"</p>
<p>"How'd you- Ah, Agent Sloane told you."</p>
<p>Gibbs knew he wasn't admitting to anything that she would object to him revealing, and based on Nathan's smile, he knew the kid didn't mind, either. "Pretty sure you can call her 'Jack'." He counted out some bills, folded them, and held out the bundle. Before Nathan could reach for it, he said, "And the hedges."</p>
<p>"And the hedges," he agreed, and seeing the money offered, said, "Fifty bucks! Thanks, Mr. Gibbs!"</p>
<p>"Two men in the park, exchanging money. That's always suspicious."</p>
<p>Gibbs and Nathan turned to the voice. "Hey, Mrs.-Agent Sloane." Nathan quickly snatched the money from Gibbs' hand before it got revoked for the slip-up. </p>
<p>Slipping in beside Gibbs, her eyes slowly went from the teen to the man, unsuccessful in her attempt to suss out what they were up to. When her eyes landed on the sandwich, she said, "Is that my bread?"</p>
<p>Gibbs shrugged and took another bite. "S'good bread."</p>
<p>"Are you having peanut butter and jam on my good bread?"</p>
<p>"It's jelly," Nathan politely corrected. Before she had a chance to translate her raised eyebrows into a question, he grinned. "I gotta go. Told Melissa I'd meet her at Starbucks." </p>
<p>"How's the tutoring going, Nathan?"</p>
<p>He couldn't hide the pink flush that came to his face and Gibbs couldn't help himself. "Yeah, Nate, how's the tutoring goin'?"</p>
<p>Jack elbowed him in the ribs. "Be nice."</p>
<p>"She's good," Nathan said, then realized his error. "I mean, it's good. The tutoring's good. Math's good. I really gotta go." He stood up and tried to collect as much dignity as he could. Seeing Gibbs' smirk, he flashed one of his own. "<em>Aрахисовое масло и джем</em>. Bye, Agent Sloane."</p>
<p>Finding his voice to say something other than, "Little shit," under his breath, Gibbs shouted after him, "Don't make me come lookin' for ya on Wednesday!"</p>
<p>Jack watched him leave, then shifted in her seat. "You're teaching him Russian?"</p>
<p>Gibbs shrugged and took a drink of his coffee. "Says it might be useful in the current 'political climate'."</p>
<p>The quotations were nearly visible and she laughed. "Ooh, I bet that stung, huh? Mr. Cold War. Do you still call it the Soviet Union?" He began collecting his garbage and she stopped him with a hand on his arm and a kiss. "I love it when you get all indignant," she grinned against his lips. She kissed him again, then said, "I love it when you put $3 spreads on my $6 bread."</p>
<p>"That how much you pay for this bread?" </p>
<p>She shushed his feigned horror with another kiss. "And I love it when you speak Russian."</p>
<p>"I didn't say anything."</p>
<p>"You didn't have to. Just knowing you're teaching Nathan? I can hear you in my head. <em>мой сладкий."</em></p>
<p>His eyebrows rose, but he deflected his surprise by saying, "I think that's the jelly." Her amused hum sent vibrations along his lips that lured out a gentle bite of her bottom lip. "Afghanistan?"</p>
<p>She hummed again. "Didn't need it as much as I thought, but every once in a while, we'd inch up north. A lovely old man in one of the villages took a shine to me."</p>
<p>"I have no doubt you could charm the birds out of the trees, Lieutenant Sloane."</p>
<p>She ran her fingertips over the short hair around his ears. "Ooh, that's something coming from you, Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs. Heard you sold sand to some locals when you were over there."</p>
<p>He grinned. "Nah. But I have been known to sell ice cubes to Eskimos."</p>
<p>"Oh, listen to you, all cocky." When his mouth twitched at the word, she slapped his shoulder. "And twelve. You're ridiculous."</p>
<p>Her smile lit up her eyes, and the sun had made it far enough to glow up her hair and suddenly, unexpectedly, his chest went tight.</p>
<p>"<em>Я гораздо больше чувствую себя собой, когда я с тобой.</em>"</p>
<p>Her eyes narrowed as she tried to translate, but she gave a small head shake in surrender. "Something about… taking me to Starbucks?"</p>
<p>He nuzzled against her nose and murmured, "Yeah, somethin' like that." His hands framed her face and he kissed her softly. "You're payin', though," he said, pulling back ever so slightly. "I gave Nathan my last 50 bucks."</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes at his exaggerated accusation of the prices. As she stood and stretched, she said, "Hey. What was that about anyway- '<em>Aрахисовое масло и джем</em>'? 'Peanut butter and jam'."</p>
<p>"He was just jealous of my sandwich."</p>
<p>The slight nod she gave him let him know she knew he was lying but chose to let it slide. "At least it's a step up from Cheez-Whiz."</p>
<p>"What's wrong with Cheez-Whiz?" he groused even as he let her grab his hand and tug him out of his seat.</p>
<p>…..</p>
<p>-end.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Roughly translated:</p>
<p>Я гораздо больше чувствую себя собой, когда я с тобой (I feel most like myself when I'm with you.)</p>
<p>мой сладкий. (My sweetness.)</p>
<p>Probably a bit OOC for Gibbs to be so romantic, but I figured if he's saying it in another language he doesn't think she understands, he might say it. And Jack could realistically have picked up some Russian words had she spent some time in northern Afghanistan. I also like the idea of Gibbs teaching a young man something other than the expected carpentry!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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